


Sleepless in Oakdale

by cindergal



Category: As the World Turns
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-10 02:22:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14728155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cindergal/pseuds/cindergal
Summary: Reid and Katie have both had a bad day. Takes place after the 6/3/2010 episode where Luke invites Reid to his mother's house. It doesn't go well.





	Sleepless in Oakdale

**Author's Note:**

> Importing some of my old fic from LJ. Originally posted there 6/1/2011.

All Reid wanted was a beer and the ballgame on TV. Well, that wasn't all he wanted, but since he wasn't going to get that, was a beer and a ballgame really too much to ask? But after the shit day he'd had, he really wasn't surprised when he walked into the apartment and found Katie on the sofa, crying over some chick flick. Great.

"You're watching _Sleepless in Seattle_ again, aren't you?"

Katie just cried harder, and when he sat down next to her, he realized his mistake. She was watching some sort of family video, and Reid recognized her late husband, Brad, from all the photographs around the apartment. Damn.

"Hey, come here," he said, putting his arm around her. She turned her head into his shoulder, and he could feel her shaking against him as he rubbed her arm. He thought he was getting better at this hug thing. God knew he had enough practice, living with Katie.

"I don't want to feel like this anymore, Reid. When is it going to stop? I just want it to stop!"

"I don't think watching these videos over and over is really helping, do you?" he asked, as gently as he could manage. She sniffled again, and he handed her a tissue from the box on the coffee table.

"I know, I know," she said, sitting up and blowing her nose. "I was just missing him a lot today. I thought this would help me feel close to him." She grabbed the remote from the coffee table and shut it off. "But it just made me feel worse."

Reid reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, now you've gone and ruined it."

"What do you mean?"

"Your situation is so much worse than mine that I can't, in good conscience, indulge in the copious amounts of self-pity I was planning on wallowing in this evening." He shook his head. "I was really looking forward to it, too."

Katie just looked at him for a moment, then got up and walked into the kitchen.

"Chubby Hubby or Cherry Garcia?" she asked, peering into the freezer.

"I prefer alternative rock. Look behind the frozen peas."

"Phish Food!" She gave him a look. "You hid it."

He held up his hands. "I take the fifth."

She returned to the sofa with two pints and two spoons. "So, what happened with Luke?"

“How’d you know something happened with Luke?”

“No one else gets you so mopey. What happened?”

"I am not mopey. But he invited me to dinner at his mother's house."

Katie beamed. "That's fantastic!"

"And then he asked me to leave. Threw me out, actually," he said around a huge spoonful of ice cream. "Before I even got any food."

Her eyes narrowed. "What did you do?"

He let his head fall against the back of the sofa. "I was an ass."

"Is that all?" She reached over and took a spoonful of ice cream from the container he was holding. "You're always an ass."

"Yeah, but...I was _really_ an ass."

"Why?"

"Well, I went over there, and Noah was there..."

Katie nodded. "Ah. So you were jealous."

"I was not jealous. I was...afraid he was going to eat all the food. He's very large."

"You poor thing," she said sympathetically, patting his knee. "You've fallen in love."

"No. NO. I have not...that thing you said."

Katie turned sideways on the sofa. "How often do you think about him?"

Reid sighed. "I think about him...more than brains."

"Do you say stupid things whenever you're around him?"

Reid gave her a look. "Duh. He just kicked me out of his house."

Katie just smiled smugly and scooped up another spoonful of ice cream.

Reid sighed. "I'm doomed, aren't I?"

"I'm afraid so," she said, laying her head on his shoulder. "Want to watch _Sleepless in Seattle_?"


End file.
